The Hell Raisers
by SqueeFreak
Summary: Did you ever wonder who would have replaced the Fairie band at Magnus Bane's party in book one? Magnus knows and he's starting to wonder if maybe he got in over his head.


A/N- Okay this is a story that was inspired by random songs on my ipod on the ride to school. I do NOT own the Mortal insruments series (oh how nice that would be). The Hell raisers are oc's of mine. I also do NOT own any of the songs in the story. They belong to their respective artists.

The silver van pulled into the avenue of run-down warehouses and parked itself in front of a red brick building that could have used some renovations and a paint job. The engine cut off and the street was silent. The back passenger side door of the van slid open and tall light haired boy jumped out, his boot-clad feet splashing in the water filled pothole. His dark blue eyes glittered with energy and excitement.

"Not really what I expected to find when you told me we'd be at the home of the High Warlock of Brooklyn, Stevie." The driver's side door opened and another boy, also tall with midnight black hair and cold hazel eyes stepped gracefully out and up onto the sidewalk. He brushed off his long black coat and glared at the other boy.

"No one asked you, now did they, Devon?" The front passenger's door flung itself open before the fair-haired young man could retort.

"He's right though. Magnus seems to have lowered his standards since the last time I saw him." The figure muttered as they too pulled themselves from the interior of the silver van, a large black case slung across their back.

"Aw, c'mon Stevie. The guy can't be all that bad. He hired us didn't he? He's gotta have some taste." Luminous green eyes glittered from underneath a crown of spiky, ice-blonde hair.

"We'll see. But if the outside is anything to go by then we might as well have just stayed home." The dark-haired young man smirked.

"We'll follow your lead, Stephanie." The girl laughed and planted her right hand on her hip and ran the left through her hair.

"Of course you will, Joseph." She closed her eyes for a moment before they snapped open, glowing with a wild kind of excitement. "Let's go rock the house, guys." And with those words hanging in the air the trio marched forward, the bottoms of their long black coats fluttered in the breeze like some kind of hellish specter.

As they reached the door Stephanie was amused to find it locked. As if that could keep out someone like her. With a snap of her fingers the door sprang open and the light bulb above it went out with a pop. Three sets of cat-slit eyes glowed in the resulting darkness.

"We're in," Stephanie cackled. They began their ascent of the stairs to the flat above.

"Couldn't we have just knocked?" Devon muttered. An icy silence followed and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay." Joseph sat his hand on Devon's shoulder.

"Let her have her fun. She says things like this 'set the mood'. Just leave her be."

"Oh! Speaking of setting the mood," Stephanie spun around and planted her hands on her hips, "I just got the greatest idea! I want you guys to wait in the van with the equipment." Devon's mouth flopped open indignantly.

"But-!" Joseph cut him off with a quiet chuckle.

"I think I know where you're going with this, Steph. Dramatic entrance?" Stephanie grinned.

"You know me so well, Joseph."

"Well, I've had centuries of practice. I'll get everything set up."

"Thanks. I'll leave it to you then." And she turned to continue up the stairs as Joseph dragged a loudly protesting Devon back to the ground floor.

"But I thought we were going upstairs! What the hell?!"

"Shut up, Newbie. Just walk," Joseph snarled. There was a sound like static electricity and Devon let out an indignant cry of pain.

"Joseph! You bastard! I'll get you!" Stephanie gave an exasperated sigh as she gripped the door at the top of the stairs and opened it, letting herself in.

"Boys. Honestly," She hissed. She closed the door behind her with a bang. Several heads snapped around to stare at her. None of them were the one she was looking for. But it didn't take him long.

"Who the hell-?! Oh. It's you." The crowd parted like the Red Sea as the tall warlock strode towards Stephanie. She frowned at him.

"Well damn, Bane. No need to act so happy to see me," She said sarcastically. Magnus Bane raised one heavily glittered eyebrow.

"Who says I am?" By now the crowd had lost interest in their exchange and had returned to talking amongst themselves or dancing to the eerie beat of the music being played by an unseen band. Magnus leaned against the wall with his elbow resting above his head. The glitter-covered spikes of black hair made him the perfect contradiction to Stephanie. His bright clothes, heavy glitter application and dark hair was the yin to Staphanie's yang of dark clothes, no make up and ice blonde hair.

"Hey," She said with a shrug, "You're the one who decided to hire me. Not my fault if you don't like it. Though it's not like I've seen you often enough in the last fifty years to do anything to piss you off." Magnus ignored the comment and looked curiously over her shoulder. When he didn't see anyone there he glared at her.

"There's supposed to be three of you. I paid for the Hell Raisers. I want all the Hell Raisers, not just you." Stephanie snorted and brushed past Magnus as she headed for the stage where the faerie band was droning.

"Relax, Bane. They'll be here."

"They better be, or I'll be getting a refund," Magnus muttered darkly. Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"Others have tried and failed. Oh! By the way." She stopped and looked back over her should at Magnus with a wicked smirk.

"That fee? That was the upfront payment. After that we charge by the hour." With that she stalked away, leaving Magnus seething in barely suppressed rage at being so thoroughly swindled.

"C'mon, c'mon! Get outta my way!" Stephanie shouted as she pushed her way through the crowd. She looked up at the band of faeries.

"Hey! You guys just got booted! This is my show now! Hit the road!" The figures on the stage glared at her and if looks could kill, well, let's just say it's a good thing they couldn't. But all the same the faeries removed themselves from the stage and, as far as Stephanie knew, after that they sulked in a corner. She didn't really care. There were curious mutters going through the crowd as they wondered why the music had stopped. Stephanie ignored them and took the black case off her back and placed it on the ground and opened it. From its depths she brought out her pride and joy. She slung the strap of the electric blue electric guitar over her head and grabbed her pick. She looked out over the muttering crowd.

"Hey! The Hell Raisers are takin' over this show now!"

"Yeah? I only see you!" A random voice broke out from the crowd. Sounds of agreement swept through the room. Stephanie smirked and raised one eyebrow.

"Really?" She snapped the fingers of her right hand and as the smoke behind her cleared……

"Took ya' long enough," Grumbled Devon under his breath. Behind her was the rest of the band. Devon at the high tech electronic keyboard and Joseph sitting amongst a cluster of drums and cymbals. The sound system had plugged itself in when she magicked them upstairs. Another snap of her fingers and in flaming letters floating in mid-air above their heads were the words : _The Hell Raisers._

Stephanie grinned like the devil himself and struck a cord on her guitar. She leaned forward into the mike.

"Let's get this party started!" She shouted. The roar from the crowd was all the encouragement she and the boys needed.

The sun had still been up when Stephanie had arrived at Magnus's flat, but it had long since fallen below the horizon. Not that you could really tell through the black painted windows that were clearly for the benefit of the vampires of the group. The Hell Raisers hadn't stopped playing for more than thirty seconds since they first appeared in a cloud of smoke. They played anything and everything. Mainly they did requests from the crowd but they also threw their own choice of song into the mix.

Stephanie had made the Hell Raisers a very unique band. They never wrote their own songs. Instead they spent their time analyzing, practicing and perfecting songs of other artists. Mundanes, Downworlders, even the occasional Shadow Hunter. They mastered them all. To some this would seem like a intrusion of copyright laws, but to those Downworlders who didn't have the opportunity to hear things other than their own repetitive sound, The Hell Raisers were like a gift from God. And since each of the band members were warlocks it wasn't like they had an early expiration date. They had almost forever to do what they did best: Rock.

Speaking of rock, that's what they were doing right now. The members had shuffled a little since the start. Now Stephanie was sitting amongst the drums and Joseph was at the front mike with his own electric guitar. Joseph was showing a side of himself that Stephanie only ever saw when he was performing on stage. They were all playing their hearts out to Move Along by The All American Rejects. Joseph was singing with all he had, an air of confidence and excitement almost never seen.

_"When all you've got to keep is strong, _

_move along move along like I know you do! _

_And even when your hope is gone, _

_move along move along just to make it through. _

_Move along!" _

As he sang the words his mouth pulled into the first smile Stephanie had seen in a long time. Too long. At seeing his happiness, his excitement, she just couldn't help herself. A small smile of her own spread across her face and she attacked the drum set with more energy than before, singing into her own mike when her cue came up. This is what they did. All of them, even the new kid Devon. And they loved it. Taking this from them would be like taking an artist's paint and brush. It was their soul. They lived, breathed, and slept music.

The song finished and they stepped right into the next one with barely a pause.

_I'm gonna make you bend and break_

_(They sent you to me without wings)_

_Say a prayer but let the good times roll_

_In case god doesn't show_

_(let the good times roll)_

_(let the good times roll) _

_And I want these words to make things right_

_But it's the wrongs that make the words come to life_

_Who does he think he is? _

_If that's the worst you've got, better put your fingers back to the keys._

There was a brief pause and Devon and Joseph grinned at each other before the explosion of sound continued, both of them singing with all they had into their mikes.

_One night and one more time  
Thanks for the memories  
Even though they weren't so great;  
"He tastes like you, only sweeter"!  
One night, yeah, and one more time  
Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories;  
"See, he tastes like you only sweeter"!  
Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh_

_Been looking forward to the future  
When my eye sight is going bad  
In this crystal ball  
It's always cloudy except for  
(Except for)  
When you look into the past  
(Look into the past)  
One night stand...  
(One night stand off)_

_One night and one more time  
Thanks for the memories  
Even though they weren't so great;  
"He tastes like you only sweeter"!  
One night, yeah, and one more time  
Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories;  
"See, he tastes like you only sweeter"!  
Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh_

_They say  
I only think in the form of crunching numbers  
In hotel rooms collecting page six lovers  
Get me out of my mind  
And get you out of those clothes  
I'm a liner away  
From getting you into the mood  
Whoa_

_One night and one more time  
Thanks for the memories  
Even though they weren't so great;  
"He tastes like you but sweeter"!  
One night, yeah, and one more time  
Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories;  
"He, he tastes like you only sweeter"!_

_One night and one more time (One more night, one more time)  
Thanks for the memories  
Even though they weren't so great;  
"He tastes like you but sweeter"!  
One night, yeah, and one more time (One more night, one more time)  
Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories;  
"See, he tastes like you only sweeter"!_

The song ended and the crowd went wild. Joseph and Devon were both breathing heavily with huge smiles on their faces. Nothing made them happier than a cheering crowd except for actually singing the songs. I smiled too and leaned forward a little to reach my mike.

"Alright, folks. Even the great Hell Raisers need a break. We're going for a fifteen minute intermission then we'll back and taking more requests. So enjoy yourselves for a minute while we're gone. But remember, don't go anywhere. We'll be right back." There was a mix of cheers and moans of disappointment that they wouldn't be starting up again right away. Stephanie laughed and jumped off the stage, Joseph and Devon following right after her. They were all bombarded by people in the crowd, shaking hands, and just generally pleasing the crowd. They finally made their way to the refreshments and downed enough to freshen them up, but not enough to hurt their singing. While Stephanie was chugging a fuchsia colored drink Magnus Bane walked up to her and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So, what's all this going to cost me?" She grinned over the edge of glass at him.

"Well, Bane, that really all depends on you. What's this party for and when are you kicking everyone out?" Magnus blinked.

"You know what the party's for. But why does that matter?" Stephanie's grin became more demonic.

"Yes I know this is for your cat's birthday. You see, we charge extra for those. And at this rate even if you kick us out now the bill's gonna rock your world." Before he could vaporize her with the blue sparks building around his hands she was back on stage.

Devon had started taking requests when Joseph tapped Stephanie on the shoulder. She looked back at him and he pointed discreetly toward a group that Magnus had just led up the stairs.

"Shadow hunters? What the hell is Magnus doing?" Joseph shook his head with a grin and pointed again.

"Not them. The two mundies clinging to them. Thought you might get some inspiration." Stephanie looked again and grinned.

Among the group of shadow hunters was a pale, skinny boy with messy hair and glasses and the short red-head next to him. The boy was glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes with jealously and when she looked at the girl she saw why. The only one the red-head had eyes for was the attractive blonde shadow hunter who screamed confidence and arrogance with everything he did.

'Heh, poor little mundie doesn't stand a chance against that.' But Joseph was right. It had inspired her. Now she was going to do something that a good artist never does. She was going to play a song that the audience was sick of. But she had to. The opportunity was just too good to pass up.

She grabbed her guitar and strode up to the mike.

"Alright guys. I know I said we'd be doing requests now but there's one song that I have to sing first and y'all are gonna hate me for it. But I was inspired by something I saw in the crowd just now. I'll make it so the rest of you don't have to hear it if you choose not to. But those who need to will hear it just fine." She stepped back a little and expanded an invisible wave of magic over the crowd, stopping it just as it reached the shadow hunters.

"Now, if you don't like this one just think of another song and it'll play in your mind instead of this one." She played the first chord and there was a unanimous chorus of groans from the crowd. She grinned.

"Told ya' so." She took a deep breath and started to sing.

_Drew looks at me_

_I fake a smile so he won't see_

_That I want and I'm needin' everything that we could be_

_I bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks about_

_And she's got everything that I've had to live without _

Stephanie grinned as she watched the mundane boy's expression as she continued to sing. He knew who she was talking about. Stephanie could have died of laughter and pity all mixed into one. In a way she knew how he felt. She glanced over at Magnus standing against the wall in a corner. He didn't see her do it because he was watching the mundane boy too. His gaze finally flickered back to hers and he gave an amused sort of grin. That made her smile and she finished her song.

"Alright. I'm done torturing you for now. First request!" After that Magnus disappeared into his room with the shadow hunters. Stephanie wonder what they were up to. A bit later they all emerged and Magnus seemed much more agitated than he had earlier. Stephanie gave a small shrug and continued to play the latest request. It was about halfway through the song when she started to realize she was losing her crowd. She looked around to a see a vampire causing a commotion in the middle of the dance floor. People were turning to look at him instead of her. That made her angry. She shot a look at Magnus and he gave a nod of approval.

She reached down without stopping the music and turned the sound dial all the way up on her guitar and turned towards the vampire. Most people had noticed and were backing way from him.

"Hey!" She shouted. The vampire turned to look at her. She sent magic into her fingertips and slammed out a chord on her guitar.

"You're cramping my style!" A visible wave of sound and magic went rocketing toward to helpless vampire and before he could move it hit him head on and he was frozen in place.

"Why don't you cool off?!" Magnus laughed and roared above the noise:

"That's it! Party's over! Everybody out!" There were grumbles of annoyance and disappointment from all as they made their way to the door. Some of the vampire's friends tried to pick him up but it was too difficult so they just ended up sliding him across the floor.

"That'll wear off in a few hours," Stephanie laughed. The vampires just glared at her as they went down the stairs. She was very satisfied a moment later to hear a loud succession of thuds and loud curses. Apparently they had dropped their friend who had just taken a rolling tumble down the stairs. Stephanie doubled over, holding her sides with laughter. Even Joseph chuckled a bit. Very soon it was just them and Magnus standing in the empty flat. Stephanie looked over her shoulder.

"Hey, why don't you guys get the stuff back in the van? I'm gonna give Bane here the bill."

"Sure thing," Joseph said with a smirk. He snapped his fingers and the band equipment disappeared. He gave Stephanie a small wink as he walked past her, dragging Devon with him out the door and down the stairs. Magnus glared at Stephanie who grinned.

"So," He grumbled, "Where's this bill that's going to "rock my world"?" Stephanie walked up to him, pulling a thick envelope out of her jacket pocket as she did. She handed it to Magnus with a flourish. He took it with a raised eyebrow.

"Awfully thick for a bill." Stephanie smiled at him.

"Who said it was a bill?" Magnus's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What-?" But before he could finish his question Stephanie stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his cheek in a quick kiss.

"You'll see. See you around, Magnus. And don't wait fifty years to invite me over next time." And with that she ran off down the stairs.

The Van was already running when she got outside. She smiled hugely and jumped in the front passenger's seat beside Joseph as he speed down the quiet road. Devon leaned his head over the back of Stephanie's seat.

"So, did he pay up? When are we getting paid?" Joseph and Stephanie grinned at each other and Devon blinked in confusion.

"What? What's so funny?"

Back in the flat Magnus had finally managed to get the envelope opened and look inside. He pulled out a stack of money and a piece of paper with Stephanie's handwriting on it.

_Magnus, _

_Ha! Fooled ya' didn't I? Did you actually think after all we've been through together I'd actually charge you for a performance? As if! Heh, anyway, here's your money back. I only did that to get back at you for not so much as calling me for fifty years. I mean, c'mon! Jeez! I practically had to hire a team of blood hounds to find you. _

_So, anyway. No charge. Think of it as a gift. Say Happy Birthday to Chairman Meow for me when he gets home. Oh, and Magnus?_

_Happy Birthday._

_Peace out, _

_Stephanie Trace _

Magnus lightly touched his cheek where Stephanie had kissed him and smiled.

"Stephanie, you old con artist. I should've known."

_Meanwhile in the van….._

"WHAT?!?!?!?!"

"Shut up, Newbie." Stephanie's laughter echoed through the air as they drove into the bright Manhattan sunrise.

A/N- okies, so let me know what you thought. I tried to write it so you could interpret Magnus' relationship with Stephanie either as them being best friends or as them being somethign else. I may have failed in an epic way, but oh well I tried. Peace out. ^_^


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